At 57, runner Steve still speeds along
Pirongia man takes mountain in his stride
Pirongia 57-year-old Steve Thomas likes to keep fit and in the past few years since giving up mountain biking, has taken up running. Several wrist operations led to Steve hanging up the helmet and now he runs several local tracks regularly including Lake Nga¯roto and Pirongia Forest Park.
“I started running just to stay fit for riding but then I finally came to the conclusion that I won’t be riding a bike like I used to, so I concentrated more on the running,” he says.
Once or twice a month he travels to Po¯kuru to tackle 449-metre high (1473 feet) Mount Kakepuku, considered an advanced tramping track but a popular place of exercise for locals.
After completing Kakepuku recently, Steve got talking to a local lady who was surprised that at his age he had run up and down the mountain with a time of 43.11 minutes.
“She looked at me like I’d just come from the moon,” Steve says lightheartedly.
“You don’t really think about it, I suppose you just run the speed you run. If you do a load of running you get a little bit quicker and a bit fitter, that’s just normal for everybody, but I guess my pace is reasonably fast for my age.”
He says he’s not looking to enter any competitions in case he falls and re-injures his wrist, but he has run a couple of half-marathons.
“It’s just for the fun of it at my age. I’ve always enjoyed sports that get you out in the country rather than field sports — adventure-type sports,” says Steve.
“I ran the Tongariro Alpine Crossing last November with a friend, which is something I’ve fancied doing for quite a long time. That went well and it’s a great track.
“It’s my relaxation even though it’s not relaxing to most people. I just completely switch off and I can think about things if I want to or just focus on that one thing.”